i still get PMs about the fender brackets i fabbed for the original rat bike back in 2008-09, including another today. the same brackets were used with the 19" wheel/Versys forks on the 2010 rat. i think that the inner fork tube should be protected when the fender is raised, thus the "wing" from my original design back then. i sold those Versys forks this winter, and there was not a single ding or scratch on the tube after thousands of miles of gravel roads, so the design works.

here ya go. i think there's someone selling a knockoff of these brackets if you don't want to fabricate your own, but i don't have a link.

Hi, I am in the process of swapping the front wheel of my Versys to a 19" V-strom wheel and have a question.

The front forks of the Versys has 15 cm of travel and if i raise the fender according to your picture then the clearance from the bottom of the triple to the top of the front fender is only about 11 cm.

Won't the front fender hit the bottom of the triple if you raise the fender that much?

Hi, I am in the process of swapping the front wheel of my Versys to a 19" V-strom wheel and have a question.

The front forks of the Versys has 15 cm of travel and if i raise the fender according to your picture then the clearance from the bottom of the triple to the top of the front fender is only about 11 cm.

Won't the front fender hit the bottom of the triple if you raise the fender that much?

this has been discussed previously, all i can say in response is that on my bikes, and with my suspension setup, i did not have an interference issue. there is a brake hose guide that needs to be turned upside down or the fender will hit it, but i did not have a situation where the fender hit the bottom clamp. the forks were set above the top clamp at about 10mm.

the OEM Versys Showa forks have a travel spec of 15cm (5.9") total, so with my static sag, there was apparently enough room available. i purposely used a fender bracket design that allowed the fender to fit the tire loosely, and the modular bolt spacing satisfies this criteria.

i still have the Versys fender that was run for over 30,000 miles (48,600km) with these brackets and find no dents, dings, scratches, or other blemishes on the top of the fender that would indicate that the fender hit the bottom clamp. i know that i bottomed those forks numerous times during travel on thousands of miles of gravel road.

other riders have fit the fender closer to the tire, both for cosmetic reasons or to address this issue. if it's a concern, design a different bracket, keep the "wing" to protect the fork tube.

you won't regret making the switch to the 19" front, it makes a big difference. come back to the thread with a photo when it's complete.

i think 2.5", there must be 100 tires that fit this wheel, take your pick.

confirm your axle/bearing situation first.

I think that wheel is 3.5 inches wide.I wanna run a 130 on it on a trike.Axle is currently 17mm.I think I can find conversion beaings if the Strom wheel takes a 20mm axle.I have inner bearing spacers that can be made to work.

I think that wheel is 3.5 inches wide.I wanna run a 130 on it on a trike.Axle is currently 17mm.I think I can find conversion beaings if the Strom wheel takes a 20mm axle.I have inner bearing spacers that can be made to work.

you can look up the wheel size to confirm, but the most common tires run are metric 110 and 100, so i can't speculate on a 130.

the 17mm axle gives you the option of the DL650 19" wheel, might be easier to find used.

ben should go over to stromtroopers, ask those guys, get flamed, report back.

i shouldn't talk, guys thought i was nuts when i put the 130/80-17 on the front of that phase one scooter. too heavy, wouldn't steer, wouldn't stop, wrong rotation, blah, blah, blah. now it's a main stream mod, i guess it works after all.

the old cop motor powered rat in full dress with the 130/80 Tourance front.

i was going through the photo archives the other day and realized how few photos i have of that bike. man, it was a strong running moto, and unlike the new one, my feet could touch the ground. then it got wrecked, RIP.